When a fan becomes a judge: a unique case in France

Krympress reports:

In the third French league there was a curious incident: in the match between Dizhon and Walancienne (2: 1), the fan replaced the injured side referee. As the sports portal says OLIMPBET Arenasuch an event is not often found in professional football and caused a violent discussion among fans and specialists.

How everything happened

The game was suspended in the first half due to the injury of the line judge Lucas Bekendorf. He received damage during acceleration, which did not allow him to continue his work. The chief referee Anthony Obryz first turned to representatives of Dijon for help, but there was no solution. Then the announcer at the stadium announced that it is urgent to replace among the audience!

After a short pause, Elian Demolos rose from the stands, who turned out to be an experienced judge at an amateur level. He quickly put on judicial equipment and took a place on the line, allowing the game to continue. True, due to this replacement to the first half, I had to add 16 minutes, which made it possible for both teams to differ again before the break.

The reaction of the parties: delight and indignation

• Vanansen Vincent Ognyan coach He was shocked: “This is the third most important league of the country! How can you just take and invite a stranger to judge the match?! This is nonsense! «
• Club «Dijon» reacted with humor and pride: “Congratulations to Elian Demonsey on the debut in the League! He came as a spectator, but completed the match as a judge. «
• Fans In social networks, they reacted to the situation with enthusiasm, calling the demonsey «the hero of the evening.»

Interesting facts about judicial replacements

Such cases in football are rare, but not unique:

• In 2024, in the match of the Bundesliga «Wolfsburg» — «Cologne» the assistant judge was injured, and the stadium announcer asked whether there were volunteers among the audience to replace.
• In 2006, in England at the amateur league match, one of the coaches was forced to replace the referee after his injury.
• In 2017, in Argentina, due to the lack of arbitrators, the match of youth teams judged a random passer-by.
• In 1996, in the match of the Cup of England between Plimut and Cambridge, one of the fans, who had a judicial license, entered the field as a Line.

Why is it possible

It may seem strange that random spectators can replace judges, but in reality there are rules that allow such replacements. The football regulations stipulate that in emergency cases, the chief judge or organizers of the match can be invited by any person who has the appropriate qualifications. Of course, this person should be familiar with the rules and not have a conflict of interest. So the story with Elian Demolisa, although rare, is quite fit into football norms.

Football — unpredictable game

This case once again proved that everything is possible in football! When it seems that everyone has already seen, events take place that make you smile and admire the spirit of the game. Maybe next time you will have a chance to stand on a side line and become part of a football story?

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